Christine Ann McVayChristine Ann McVay, 61, passed away on May 18, 2014. She was born in Whitefish, Mont., on December 10, 1952, to Pat and Marie McVay. She was the third of four sisters. Chris and her sisters grew up as farm girls in rural Montana, near Kalispell. She attended a two-room school through eighth grade, and then graduated from Flathead County High School in 1971. She attended Eastern Washington College in Cheney, Washi...

Relief expected soon from smoke, pollenFamiliar moist weather is set to chase away the warm and sunny days of record-breaking May. The good news is that pollen and residual smoke from the Funny River fire could get washed away by the moister air mass descending on the region. Kodiakans and other Alaskans have been complaining about huge pollen counts, sore throats and coughing. “The tree pollen is making quite a mess all over the harbor,” Kodiak harbor...

Anchorage resident enjoys The RockHarlow Robinson has a good excuse to spend the rest of his family vacation in Kodiak relaxing in a camping chair. The 47-year-old from Anchorage spent the first part of his Emerald Isle getaway sightseeing on foot by competing in the Crab Festival Marathon and the Pillar Mountain Run. Yes, you read that correctly. Robinson put his body through the gauntlet with a 26.1-mile run followed shortly by a 9.2-mile cool-d...

Clear-cutting wrong path for KodiakTo the editor, I am writing in response to the interview with Leisnoi’s top officials. I returned to Kodiak last summer to salmon seine after a three-year hiatus. I was devastated to see the clear-cut logging taking place. Chiniak still has a chance to avoid the resource degradation that has permanently marred the Pacific Northwest. Salmon streams here are pitiful compared to what they were, and the once-forested ...

Alaska Science Forum: Woods of Alaska stir after long winter slumberIt’s late May, 118 miles from the Arctic Circle. Time for a walk to work. The season has changed since February, the last time I wrote about walking through the North Campus of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The North Campus is a rectangle of more than 1,000 acres that begins a few steps south of my door and ends at the university’s multistory research buildings. The spruce-dominated forest, bordered on all s...

In the courts: May 28Dismissals • One count of violating conditions of release against Billy Yovino, 31, was dismissed. • One count each of criminal mischief with property damage, resisting or interfering with arrest by force and disorderly conduct creating a hazard condition against Billy William Yovino Jr., 31, were dismissed. • One count of violating conditions of release against Marlon R. Inga, 41, was dismissed. • One count of dr...

KHS baseball opens conference tourney against PalmerKodiak’s baseball team opens the Southcentral Conference Championship Thursday against Palmer. The first-round game begins at 1 p.m. in Soldotna. The winner advances to play in a semifinal game at 7 p.m. Thursday against either Colony or Kenai. Kodiak won the South Division with a 9-1 record, while Palmer is the fourth-seed out of the North Division. The Bears went 1-1 against the Moose this season, winning the co...

AMSEA offers additional workshopHigh demand for a marine safety training has led the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association to schedule an extra workshop in Kodiak. The May 29-30 class reached maximum enrollment, so a second class has been scheduled for 8 a.m.-8 p.m. May 30 and 8:30 a.m.-noon May 31. The training will cover cold water survival skills, life rafts, emergency drills, EPIRBS, helicopter rescue, man overboard recovery and firefig...

From fishing to hamster ballsMatt Shadle left a career in fishing, found ranching in the Lower 48, and returned to Kodiak last week to sell his trawler and float hamster balls instead at the Crab Festival. “I’ve sold my boat and I’m turning into a rancher. I’ve been a fisherman for 30 years. I’m no longer going to be a fisherman anymore,” Shadle told the Mirror. Quotas, observers and overweening regulations pushed him out of fishing. But his ...

Earthquake simulator spring gets speedy repair A broken spring nearly sidelined one of the main attractions at the Kodiak Crab Festival on Friday, only to make a cast of hometown heroes by Saturday. The earthquake simulator, Quake Cottage, literally blew a spring on day two of CrabFest, shortly before its last ride of the night on May 22. “We heard a couple big bangs… They looked underneath and we had to shut down for the day,” said Jack Maker, an assistant pl...